Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Sunday morning.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on BTU. UBS Group lifted their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Peabody Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark increased their price objective on Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.33.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $33.60 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.45 and its 200-day moving average is $24.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of -115.87 and a beta of 0.41. Peabody Energy has a 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $35.99.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The coal producer reported ($0.58) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by ($0.39). Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 0.25% and a negative net margin of 0.83%.The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $990.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -103.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 21.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,982 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.0% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 72,693 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $985,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.